An autocollimator alignment system for a Schwarzschild-Couder Cherenkov telescope

作者：Griffiths S T^*; Kaaret P; Smith E

来源：Experimental Astronomy, 2016, 42(1): 1-10.

DOI：10.1007/s10686-016-9497-y

• Autocollimator
• Optical metrology
• Telescope alignment

We present a digital autocollimator which will be used in the alignment system of a prototype medium-sized telescope, which is part of the U.S. contribution to the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The Schwarzschild-Couder optics in the prototype telescope (which is currently under construction) requires the precise alignment of three components: the primary and secondary segmented mirrors, and the gamma-ray camera. The approximately 9 meter separation between the mirrors necessitates remote optical measurement. Our autocollimator will measure the angle of a segment in one mirror relative to the center of the other mirror with a precision better than 5 arcsec over a range of +/- 0.126A degrees. We present a detailed description of the instrument and describe its performance in the laboratory.

• 出版日期2016-8